Show me the money!  Many of you ask when your trainee starts getting paid.  Members of the military are paid the 1st and the 15th of every month.  HOWEVER, there will often be some lag at the start of BMT.  So it may take a few weeks before you see your trainee’s first paycheck deposited.  PLAN AHEAD if you have any bills!  If you think there is an issue with a paycheck, you will have to write to your trainee ASAP.  They will then have to meet with finance and fix it on their end.  Also keep in mind their first check will be minus the $400 advance they receive when they arrive at BMT (for them to use while at BMT).

For those of you married to a trainee … your spouse will be getting paid while in BMT given that all their paperwork lands in appropriate hands. They will be getting paid according to his particular rate [E-1 (Airman Basic), E-2 (Airman), or E-3 (Airman First Class)], whether they have children, etc.  They get paid twice a month; on the 1st and on the 15th. If the 1st or 15th land on a weekend, they get paid the Friday before. Your airman has more than likely set up a direct deposit to receive his pay, (do YOU have access to your husband’s/your joint account?).
”When will my husband receive his first paycheck?”
-It depends. Some receive their first pay 3 weeks into BMT, some receive it 5 weeks into BMT. Some don’t receive it at all during BMT (due to various reasons), but NOTE: Even if you don’t see money coming in for TWO MONTHS, you WILL get all of it eventually. It’s called “back pay.”
For the most part, this is accurate information (via USAF Basic Military Training FB page): “If the trainee processes their finance paper work before the 6th of the month they should get paid on the 15th; if they process between the 6th and 20th they should get paid on the 1st of the next month.”
What is “BAH”?
-BAH stands for “Basic Allowance for Housing” and is the Military’s way of taking care of your housing, as a dependent(s), while you are away from your husband. The amount of BAH you receive is directly dependent on where you live; your zip code. To see how much BAH you should be receiving each month, click this link below and put in your 5-digit zip code.
BAH Calculator:

You can plug in different zip codes and see what the BAH is for different parts of the country.
Like Base Pay (The regular pay your airman is receiving for his rate), the BAH for the month will come in two separate times. Your “$1000” BAH will come as $500 and $500.
Your BAH may not show up in the pay right away. This may take a couple payday’s longer, but don’t worry, they will “back pay” you and you will get all the appropriate moneys eventually.
”The second time he got paid was a lot more than the first time. Why?”
-The Air Force took money out of your trainee’s first pay check. This was probably ~$400-$500 and was used to put money into a Debit card that the trainees use during BMT. This money goes pretty quickly (they pay for their uniforms, hair cuts, food, dry cleaning, etc) and don’t be surprised if he actually spends money there! The $400 debit card is used up and they do buy stuff! After the first paycheck, the amount will increase. When you start receiving BAH, you should expect “that” amount whenever he gets paid on the 1st and the 15th.
”There is no money showing up in our account at all and its been over a month and a half. Who do I contact regarding this?”
-Your spouse must contact the Finance Department to get any pay issues resolved.
”I think our BAH should be more than what he’s receiving.”
-Again, your spouse must be the one who contacts the Finance Department to get pay issues resolved.
”I’d like to see the breakdown of what my Airman is getting paid. How do I access it?”
-It’s called a “MyPay” account. Your Airman has this information and is allowed to share it with you, but you will have to ask your Airman for it.

Click HERE to join our AFWM Spouse Group.  Please note that ONLY spouses are allowed in this group.  An AFWM admin will message you prior to accepting your request.  Please be sure to check your “message requests” and “filtered requests” in your messages to ensure you see this message.